


Submerge

by notmyyacht



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Body Horror, Horror, M/M, Merman Hux, Minor Character Death, Pirate Kylo Ren, Siren Hux, Sirens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:08:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24432616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notmyyacht/pseuds/notmyyacht
Summary: Kylo could think of no better life than one at sea. If only he heeded what his father had said about the Dark Shoals.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	Submerge

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a companion piece to my other merman!Hux/pirate!Kylo fic "Horizon" For this one, I wanted to explore a darker take on that type of dynamic. (You don't have to read that one to understand this one. It's its own thing!) I might have gotten a little carried away =P
> 
> Big THANK YOU to DownToTheSea being being an AMAZING BETA!!! Love ya dearie! <3
> 
> Hope y'all like it!!

His father had warned him many times as a boy to stay away from the Dark Shoals. When Kylo took to the sea as an adult, still his father warned him that morning.

“May there be wind in your sails, son. And remember: go nowhere near the Dark Shoals during your travels.”

The Dark Shoals weren’t just shoals, either. Rather, it was an island, too small for any populace to live there, but large enough to hinder a ship should she run into it. Composed of sharp rocks around the circumference, with only one side of the island covered in soft sand, it was miles away from any populated island and most sailors who had allegedly seen it spoke only in superstitions and of the monsters that dwelled there. The beautiful monsters.

Sirens. 

Creatures that lured honest sailors and pirates alike to their shores. If your crew managed to survive the rocks and wash up on the beach, then the sirens would devour you. ‘Why go there?’ the ignorant would ask. According to legend, during the darkest storms or if a ship were lost, the sailors on board would suddenly hear the sweetest sound they’d ever heard. 

It was said the siren’s song was irresistible to anyone and if you heard it, you would feel compelled to follow it to its source. And the sirens? The sirens themselves were supposedly the most gorgeous creatures to exist. More beautiful than the loveliest human woman. Everything about them was designed to lure their prey in. 

Kylo spent many years at sea and never once came across the Dark Shoals. Even as he threw away his family name to make a living as a pirate, he still saw nothing. It was just a myth, then. After all, most sailors who spoke of it knew a seaman who knew a seaman who had seen the island. No firsthand accounts. No sailor who looked Kylo in the eye and told him of the exquisite horrors that they had seen and heard.

Just superstition to keep men in line, Kylo eventually deduced. 

Kylo Ren stood at the bow of his ship.  _ His  _ ship. A ship that his crew had acquired through a battle that left their previous captain dead. It was just as well. Snoke was a controlling bastard that nobody liked. Kylo suspected that if his crew discovered the truth about how the first mate rose to captain, they would hardly bat an eye. Snoke had their fear, Kylo had their respect.

Captain Ren looked out at the sea, into the horizon. He clenched his jaw at the sight of black clouds that seemed to stretch either way forever, like a blockade. He turned and barked orders at his crew to stow the sails. This was going to be a rough night.

Two hours later and Kylo was soaked to the core. He tried to ignore the cold winds that blew through him as he held firm onto the helm, his knuckles white from the strain. Only half an hour ago did his helmsman go flying overboard, which had been a shame because the man had half a foot on Kylo and muscles the size of his head; more than once had he been the lifesaver for their ship in a storm. All it had taken was a slippery deck and another large crewman to accidentally knock the helmsman off his feet. 

Kylo wasn’t sure if he had lost anyone else, and it was something he’d usually worry about once they got through a storm, but if the helmsman was gone then surely there were others. He focused on getting through. 

_ “First thing you gotta know about navigating storms, Ben, is to survive one, you  _ must _ keep moving.” _

Kylo cursed to himself. His father had taught him so much, but nothing about a storm like this. Over ten years at sea, this had to be the worst one. The winds bit at his skin, the water shook the ship like a baby with a rattle. Kylo could hardly see a damn thing in the rain; it constantly blew into his eyes, the harsh wind making it feel like ice. 

“Captain!” he heard Mitaka shout, but could not see him. He knew his boatswain had tied himself to one of the masts, but his voice seemed so far away. “Cap-”

To Kylo’s shock, his vision cleared just in time to see the waves engulf Mitaka’s trembling form. A moment later, he was gone with only the loose ropes around the mast as evidence he had been there at all.

A shiver ran through Kylo that had nothing to do with the storm. He cursed a soft “Shit,” which was drowned out by the crashing of the waves. His gaze flickered about the decks, trying to count how many crewmembers were left. The rain was in his eyes again, blurring his vision and making his heart race with panic. 

He released a single hand from the helm to frantically wipe the water from his eyes. The ship jerked under him, and all at once he lost his grip on the helm and the deck from under his boots as he was flung into the unforgiving ocean.

He wasn’t sure what woke him. Or if the harsh rain and raging sea had been a nightmare. All he did know was one moment he was struggling to the surface, then a wave curled, threatening over him, ready to swallow him up, and the next moment his eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply, startling awake.

Kylo was sure he was shaking, or was it the water under him that was moving? 

“Morning, Cap’n.” 

He slowly sat upright and took in his surroundings. First thing he noticed was that the waters were calm and the sun shone down on them pleasantly. The storm was over, he was alive. Second thing he noticed was that he was in a dinghy with two other crewmates: quartermaster Pryde and a rigger who went by DJ. They both looked like hell, though their ragged clothes were dry, which suggested he had been unconscious for some time. He noticed that the boat was missing oars and silently kept that potentially horrific observation to himself.

DJ nodded to the ratty tricorne hat on Kylo’s lap. It was old, but Kylo had purchased it just before he joined Snoke’s crew. The stupid thing had been with him through thick and thin, and whether it was simple sentiment or superstition, Kylo believed it to be lucky. Or, at least he used to. Now, as he sat amongst the last of his crew in the middle of the ocean, it brought little comfort. It would be smart to throw it in the water. Still, sentiment won out and he placed it on his head.

“S-saved it for you,” said DJ.

“Thank you,” Kylo replied. He glimpsed at the sky, trying to get an idea of where the sun was. “How long was I out?”

“Since last night,” said Pryde. 

Kylo glanced about, his gaze falling on the various driftwood that seemed to be moving farther and farther away. Anxiety prickled his skin.

“Pryde, where the hell is  _ The Finalizer _ ?”

“I’m afraid she’s gone, Captain. She sank before we were out of the storm. DJ here managed to grab this boat beforehand.”

“You were  _ abandoning _ ship?” Kylo swallowed, his throat dry and his anxiety morphing into anger.

Pryde seemed to notice this, but kept his voice level - something that made him an ideal first mate and quartermaster to look at a situation logically when Kylo’s temper flared. Sometimes Kylo envied him, if not for the fact the man was rather cold most of the time and not much in terms of camaraderie. 

“As I said, sir, the ship was floundering. You were unconscious and a decision had to be made.”

Gone. His ship, gone. Most of his crew, gone. All they had left was a little boat and the open ocean.

Hours passed. The sun crawled higher into the sky, then sank back down. 

When his men had had the time to throw a few bags worth of food, water, and even a bag of treasure into the dinghy when abandoning ship, Kylo had no idea and he didn’t ask. 

The night came, the stars and crescent moon shining down on them as their only source of light. Kylo counted the constellations to himself, over and over, until he fell asleep.

The blinding sun woke him the following morning and he realized with dread that he had no plan. They had no map or compass. He lied to Pryde and DJ. He had a plan, he told them. And he knew where they were drifting. If they didn’t believe him, which they likely didn’t, they said nothing to contradict him.

The sun set once again on calm waters.

That night he dreamed Snoke had sent the storm that had destroyed  _ The Finalizer _ . He stood in the water, above the struggling crew like a giant god, laughing.

Kylo awoke in a cold sweat and did not go back to sleep.

The sun did not shine down on them that morning. The world around them had vanished in a thick layer of fog that blotted out the sun and the horizon, only allowing for a few feet of visibility in any direction. Kylo found himself staring into it mostly out of boredom, though he told himself it was to look out for land. More than once he could swear he saw a shadow move through the haze. Every time he reminded himself that he was just tired, his mind playing tricks on him. An echo of his father’s voice told him that it was normal, a symptom of what they had gone through. 

Pryde doled out their day’s rations, the corner of his face twitching briefly when he looked down into the bag of supplies. 

Catching it, Kylo asked, “How are our rations?”

Pryde frowned, as if having to think about it. Strange, for he had told Kylo that he had properly divided the food and water for the three of them to survive on for at least a month. 

“Same as I told you the other day, Captain.”

“You don’t seem so sure right now.”

With that, Pryde glanced up, the crease between his eyebrows suggesting he was insulted. Reading him was always difficult.

“I am sure,” he said, his voice that usual level, cold tone.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“It would be unwise to waste energy-”

“ _ Pryde _ .”

Pryde pursed his lips, briefly glancing at DJ, who Kylo had almost forgotten was there.

“I would follow you anywhere, Captain,” said Pryde stiffly, “but part of my duty is to think ahead.” He finally looked up at Kylo. “We can ration this food all we want, but we won’t survive. We are out in the open ocean with no hope of being found or finding land. And you have no plan.”

Kylo’s hands clenched into fists. He said nothing, just kept eye contact with Pryde for another minute, sure he would think Kylo weak if he turned away first. Kylo wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Finding land is more prob-bable than you think.”

Pryde and Kylo turned to DJ, who sat furthest from them, picking at the small lump of bread and popping the tiny pieces into his mouth.

“Before we entered the storm I looked at a map of the area,” said Pryde, his tone almost condescending. “There are no charted islands for miles of where we were hit. Even if we do find land, there will be no people on them. No people, no way of getting back to civilization.” 

DJ shrugged, glancing at Kylo with a sparkle in his eye. 

“What do you know?” Kylo asked.

“Only that there are various uncharted lands in these w-w-waters. Islands kept off maps to throw off authorities.”

A smile crept onto Kylo’s face.

“Pirate ports,” he surmised.

DJ grinned. Pryde’s face twisted into irritation.

“Oh please! _Secret pirate ports?”_ he sneered. “Those would still be on several of our maps, which, need I remind you, Captain Snoke purchased or stole from other pirates? If there were secret places for us to take refuge, Captain Snoke would have used them.”

Kylo froze at the name, his nightmare from the night before flashing through his mind. He swallowed his water ration in one gulp to smother his unease. Pryde continued, unnoticing, “Besides, I would not trust anything about any ridiculous ideas that come from  _ him. _ ”

DJ’s grin faltered only for a second, but it was enough to give Pryde the confidence to keep going. “Captain Ren, there’s something I must tell you. I should have told you days ago, but I did not have any proof.”

Kylo glanced between the two. “What are you talking about?”

DJ shifted uncomfortably. 

“Captain Ren, I do believe that before I gave the order to abandon ship, this crewmate-” Pryde pointed an accusing finger at DJ “-was about to desert.”

DJ pointed at himself incredulously. 

“That is a serious accusation,” said Kylo, though now he focused on DJ’s expressions, trying to get a read on him.

“He was the first one in the boat, sir. He grabbed all of our supplies, the rations, the gold. He knew the ship was done for and he decided he cared more about his own life than his crew’s.” Pryde scowled across the way as he spoke, his face reddening and his nails digging into the fabric of his pants.

“DJ, is this true?” Kylo wouldn’t put it past him; he was the newest member of their crew since just before Snoke’s death. DJ was a thief and a loner. Kylo wasn’t even sure why a man like him would want to join a crew or how- No. He remembered how. He remembered Mitaka introducing DJ to him and Snoke. There had been a history there, something about growing up on the same island. Kylo remembered Mitaka being swallowed by the sea…

DJ shrugged. 

“At the time, it was every m-man for himself. I-if I hadn’t, we would be dead now,” he stated. 

Pryde set his jaw and lunged forward. Kylo had no time to react before Pryde had his hands around DJ’s throat, shoving him back against the bottom of the boat.

“Deserter! Traitor bastard!” he shouted. 

Kylo wrapped an arm around Pryde’s shoulders and jerked him back. If Pryde were younger, he could have probably held on longer. But Kylo was bigger than him and much stronger; he managed to pry Pryde off DJ in a single tug. DJ scrambled back as far as the space on the boat would allow. 

“F-fucking crazy,” he said, sucking in fresh air. 

Kylo shoved Pryde onto the bench at the other side of the dinghy. Pryde glared daggers and looked to try and make another attempt. Kylo held him there with a firm hand on his shoulder.

“ _ Enough _ ,” he barked.

Pryde seethed, but stayed in place. 

Kylo didn’t blame him. If he were at his full strength now, he’d probably make a move against DJ too. Maybe even go so far as to throw him overboard. But he had already lost enough this week, and he was tired.

They did not see the stars or moon that night. Or the next night. Or the following three. The fog bank that had rolled in had not subsided. 

Somewhere after the fifth day of fog, Kylo lost track of how many days they had been adrift.

The growl of a stomach woke Kylo only briefly one night. He registered it as not his own before falling back into a restless sleep.

On one rainy, fog-covered afternoon, Kylo wrestled a dagger out of Pryde’s hand. Whether he had planned on using it on DJ or himself, Kylo wasn’t sure. He didn’t ask.

The waters were only rough with them for a single morning before they calmed down again within a few hours. Kylo almost wished they would run into another storm so the ocean could finish what she started. So the endless sea of fog would end.

The fog did not end.

One evening, as the world darkened around them, DJ began humming. It was a chanty that Kylo didn’t know very well. When DJ began to softly sing the lyrics, Pryde joined in. Kylo sat there, watching what was left of his crew find a small spark of joy for a few minutes.

This was hell. It had to be. 

Kylo would have regular nightmares about waking up in the little boat completely alone, forever lost in the fog. Sometimes he would hear Pryde and DJ’s singing, somewhere off in the distance. Other times he would hear Snoke’s vile laughter, his vengeance complete at last. Once, and only once, did he hear the voice of his mother.

_ “Ben, come home,”  _ she said. And he would wake. And while he felt the familiar relief that DJ and Pryde were still here with him, an agony of loneliness pierced his chest. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks and settled in his growing stubble.

  
  


A firm grip shook Kylo awake, jostling him from his nightmares. His eyes shot open to find DJ leaning over him, though not looking down at him. 

“What is it-?”

“Shh! Shh!” snapped Pryde.

Kylo blinked a few times and sat up. His crewmates were both looking in the same direction into the fog, wide-eyed. 

“We’re not alone,” DJ whispered. 

“Shhh!”

Kylo looked in the same direction they were and squinted. Nothing, only fog. 

Then, he heard it. The chime of a bell. 

His mouth dropped slightly.

Then he heard it again. The chime seemed to glisten, an echo across the water. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.

Then Kylo realized, it wasn’t the chime of a bell at all, but a voice. Someone was _ singing _ . Not Pryde or DJ, but a beautiful voice from within the fog. No!  _ Multiple _ voices!

They were not singing words, necessarily, just vocalizing. 

“Angels?” Pryde wondered out loud. 

“Our kind d-ddoesn’t get into Heaven,” said DJ.

“We’ve cracked, then?”

“Seems it.”

Angels or insanity, it didn’t matter. They were drifting towards the voices and they couldn’t move fast enough for Kylo. He bent over the side, cupping his hands and using them as oars. Pryde and DJ noticed and flew to the sides of the boat to do the same. 

The vocalization changed as they grew closer, morphing into comprehensible words. 

_ “O handsome sailors, come to us, _

_ From the fog, let our song shine through, _

_ For we have nothing but love for you. _

_ O handsome sailors, hear our song, _

_ Forget your troubles and embrace what’s true, _

_ For sailor, we have only our love for you!” _

As if his wish were granted at the mere thought, the fog thinned. The closer they drifted to the angelic voices, the thinner the fog became, until finally…

“Land!” Pryde croaked.

At least, there had to be land. None of the pirates could be bothered to properly check. Not when they could see the singers now. Almost haloed by the fog, not far from where they drifted were half a dozen people, all singing, all facing them. 

Kylo, Pryde, and DJ froze and stared. 

The people in the middle of the ocean had to be the most beautiful beings the pirates had ever seen. They varied in sex, skin color, and hair length, and all were gorgeous. Their vibrant hair shone in the sunlight, their skin glistened, their eyes - although still far - captivating. 

The trio got closer and could see…

“Mermaids,” DJ breathed.

Each merfolk’s tail was a different color and look. Some had extra fins along the side, others had tails that seemed a different color depending on the way the sun reflected off the scales. All were naked and human-looking from the waist up, though some had scales that reached their collarbone or neck. 

Kylo’s stare met every single one, each merperson smiling around the vowels they sang, until a pair of seafoam green eyes halted his gaze. The merman’s pale skin glinted in the sunlight, his red hair fell into his face; he, too, grinned, something in his expression purposefully giving away that he was glad he had caught Kylo’s attention.

_ “O, handsome sailors, gaze upon us. _

_ Hear our song, and see what we hide, _

_ Beneath the waves, we swim with love by our side. _

_ Submerge your thoughts, O sailor,  _

_ And listen with your heart, _

_ Come and may the world ne’er tear us apart!” _

The merman’s song seemed to carry him, like the fog on the water. His head felt warm and fuzzy, and he  _ wanted _ . He could almost imagine himself touching the merman, caressing him, making love to him while the merman sang that sweet song into his ear, holding Kylo in his arms as he reached the edge… Kylo visibly shuddered at the imagery his cruel mind painted for him. Images, and also small fantasies of the senses. The ginger merman’s warm breath against the shell of his ear, the cool, smooth scales flush against his hot human skin, the salt of the ocean on his tongue, a sweetness in his nose, those green eyes boring into him with every... The merman reached a hand out and Kylo could only lift a hand and reach for him in return.

There was so much space between them though, and damn it all, Kylo needed to  _ touch _ . He snatched his beloved hat from his head and dipped it in the water to paddle with. His gaze remained fixed on the merman, one hand still outstretched while the other waded through the water, desperate to shorten the gap.

They were so close now… any moment they could be close enough to touch…

A loud _ CRASH _ snapped Kylo out of his daze as he fell onto his back, the shabby hat lost to the depths. He shook his head and bolted upright. 

Several large, sharp, pointed rocks stuck up through the hull of the dinghy; water already began to leak in through the holes. His eyes widened as the reality of the situation hit him: they were going to sink.

“Pryde! DJ! We have to-”

Pryde had also been snapped out of his trance, but his attention wasn’t on the leaking boat. He grabbed at Kylo’s shoulder and pointed ahead of them. Kylo followed his gaze back to where the merfolk had been singing. 

The merfolk were still there, but no sweet melody came from their lips. The sun did not accentuate their beauty. In fact, the sky was now covered in dark clouds; the water was still calm, and the fog was at long last gone, but it brought no comfort. Not when the merfolk were looking at them with wild eyes and bared sharp teeth.

Now they could see what the beautiful creatures had been perched on. It was a small island, the edges of it lined with the large, sharp rocks; the very rocks they were now trapped upon. 

The Dark Shoals. 

“Oh, _fuck me!_ ” Kylo exclaimed.

Half the sirens dove into the water and Kylo could almost hear his father’s disappointed sigh. He had given him one warning. “Pryde!” he yelled, reaching into his inner pocket to take out the dagger. Their only weapon, he realized.

Pryde grabbed DJ by the sleeve, shaking him wildly. 

“Wake up!” he shouted in his face. “Snap out of it!” But DJ was still staring at the island in a blissful daze, completely unaware of the monsters surrounding their damaged boat. 

“DJ! Come to your senses! That’s an order!” Kylo yelled, not taking his eyes off the sirens. 

Two of the three in the water began to hum again as they swam closer. 

Kylo jabbed at the air. “Stay back!”

A short-haired blonde siren grinned up at him, as if finding his threats amusing. She inched closer.

“Captain!” Pryde shouted.

Kylo turned just in time to see a black-haired female siren breach the water and lunge at DJ; Kylo sliced at the siren. The creature laughed and fell backwards into the water, narrowly missing the blade. 

He cursed under his breath, frantically turning from one approaching siren to the next, jabbing at the air as a warning. The sirens, however, seemed more amused than anything. And more bold.

Two on either side made to grab onto the edge of the boat. They giggled and rocked it slightly; Kylo kept his balance and thrust the dagger at the siren closest to him. It was the black-haired siren from before. She hissed at him and slid back underwater. Out of the corner of his eye, Kylo could see Pryde slam his foot down on the other siren’s fingers. The siren shrieked, also retreating back into the water. 

DJ was still staring transfixed at the now empty island. All of the sirens were in the water, surrounding the boat, closing in. The blonde one made another leap for Kylo, grabbing the hand that held the dagger. Kylo tightened his fist around the hilt and frantically threw his whole body to and fro, trying to throw her off. A brunet male siren grabbed at his pant leg, long claws tearing the fabric and drawing blood. Kylo gave a shout and kicked the creature in the face. 

The sirens were everywhere. In the water, in the boat, crawling on them, tearing and screeching. It was the swarm of them against three pirates, one of which was helpless, one with only his limbs to fight back with, and the third with a dagger that was being pried out of his grip. 

Kylo glared into the crystal blue eyes of the siren digging her claws into his hand. She smirked, as if taking pleasure in how he was fighting back. Kylo darkly wondered how many did fight back, and if they did, how long did they last?

How long would he last? And what’s more, could this siren tell how much time he had just by looking at him?

He could feel the cold air against his palm as his fingers were forced to uncurl.

_ No. Not like this.  _

The dagger fell from his right hand and the world felt like it had slowed down. The blonde siren’s face lit up in victory, her lips pulling back in a horrific grin. 

_ Not like this. _

Kylo sharply turned his body, bending the siren’s arm at an awkward angle, and caught the falling dagger with his left hand. With her hands dug into his right arm, he pulled her back with him and slid the dagger into her stomach.

Her eyes stared wide into his face, fury and surprise flickering behind them. And then, there was nothing. He could hear the mournful cries of her kind around them and Kylo quickly moved to shove her large silver body off him and overboard. 

For a moment, the sirens just glared at him. 

Kylo raised the bloody dagger.

“I said, stay  _ back! _ ” he snarled.

The sirens kept their gaze fixed on the dagger, slowly backing away from the boat. He could only guess that maybe the blonde siren had been a leader, perhaps one of their strongest. It didn’t matter; all he cared about was the fact they were retreating. 

Pryde stood with his back to Kylo’s, keeping close to him.

“Fellas,” said DJ, blinking slowly. “D-did you ever think you'd ever see a creature so beautiful?”

From out of the water sprung the black-haired female siren, teeth bared and claws out; she dug them into DJ’s neck and shoulder. Kylo hardly reacted before she pulled DJ over the side and under the water. The surface where he had vanished turned red. 

Pryde and Kylo stared at the spot in shock. 

DJ was gone. 

Several of the sirens dipped below the surface to join the feast that was sure to be had. 

Kylo held the dagger up, not once relenting. Though if his hand now shook, he paid it no mind. He glanced at Pryde, who was paler than he’d ever seen him before. 

The remaining sirens lingered in the water, watching with feral grins. Kylo glanced at each one of them, his gaze lingering on the ginger siren he had been staring at earlier. The ginger siren did not grin, but scowled with hate. Kylo briefly wondered if the blonde one had been a friend. If sirens could have friends. All he did know was that that particular siren had it in for him. 

“Captain,” said Pryde in a low voice. “I think we should make a run for it.”

“And go  _ where? _ ” Kylo growled through his teeth.

“The island. It’s small, but there seems to be enough inland for us to at least get out of range from them. I’m willing to risk it.”

Kylo was suddenly very aware of the water that now covered his feet. The boat was sinking. They couldn’t stay here. Pryde was right. If there was a chance they could get away from the sirens, they had to take it. If they didn’t, they were food for the fishes. 

“Alright. But we’ll have to move fast.” Kylo’s gaze continued to flicker from siren to siren; his shoulders tensed as several inched closer, ready to strike again. “On my signal.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The ginger siren held Kylo’s gaze again, his brow furrowing. He tilted his head ever-so-slightly. Kylo wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain that siren was aware of what they were up to.

“ _ Now! _ ”

Pryde lept from the bench and onto the rocks they had crashed on, Kylo - turning his back to the sirens for the first time since they got there - followed at his heels. He grabbed at the black rock, scraping the skin of his palms with every effort to climb. Behind him he could hear the shrieks and splashing of the vile monsters. Pryde was surprisingly nimble for his age, and made it to the top of the rocks in no time. He didn’t check to make sure Kylo was with him and pressed forward, bolting from the edge as fast as he could.

Kylo’s injured leg made him slower, weaker. He cursed under his breath and pushed through the pain. The air behind him moved as he felt a siren swipe at his ankle, just barely missing. 

At last he reached the top, his cracked lips parting at the sight. Just beyond the black rocks was a stretch of a half mile of sand dotted with small boulders and pebbles; the edges of the island were almost completely bordered by the rocks. It would be impossible to land here without damaging one’s ship. But there were no trees, nothing green, no beautiful waterfalls he once heard a sailor describe in vivid detail. Just rock and sand and the sirens. 

The sirens, which had now stopped screeching; from behind him, Kylo could hear it again. The melodic voices. Tempting him.

_ “Return, O lovely sailor, return! _

_ Lay in the sun with us, _

_ Where your skin will never burn. _

_ Love us, sailor, fair and true! _

_ For we have nothing but love for you.” _

Kylo covered his ears and ran over to Pryde, who was on his knees and panting. 

“Enric, we have to go!” he said. 

Pryde grit his teeth. “I’m so… so tired.” Whatever adrenaline he had been running on before, it was all but drained. Kylo wasn’t having it. He was not going to stay on this godforsaken island alone. He slipped an arm around Pryde’s thin shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. 

“We have to go. We...” Kylo trailed off as he spotted three sirens crawling over the edge of the rocks. 

_ “Sailor, sailor, sailor.” _

Kylo tightened his grip and took off as fast as he could with an injured leg and the weight of a weak old man leaning on him. The singing did not stop, but the distance seemed to be making a difference. Farther and farther away the sound became. 

Then he felt it. A single stone that hit him square in the back, not enough to hinder his pace, but it caught his attention enough to turn around. His eyes widened. 

As predicted, the sirens with their long beautiful finned tails could only travel so far inland. But once they had reached their limit, they began picking up rocks. There were four of them now, the black-haired one had blood on her lips.

DJ’s blood.

The brunet siren drew his arm back and threw another rock; Kylo swerved, managing to dodge it in time. Another threw a rock. And another. Then the black-haired one again. Soon they were all throwing stones, bombarding the pirates.

Kylo did not wait around to be stoned to death and bolted forward. He had to be out of their range soon. The sun beat down on them through an opening between the dark clouds. Sweat beaded along his hairline and seeped into his already damp shirt. Despite a hell of constant fog, Kylo never thought he’d hate the sun so much. __

_ Six sirens in total _ , he recalled as he ran.  _ I got the strong blonde one. Then there’s the four on the edge of the island… _ Kylo’s mouth went dry, suddenly aware that the redheaded siren had gone missing when they had jumped for the rocks. What the hell happened to the ginger one? They couldn’t keep-

A soft grunt from Pryde made Kylo falter in his step. He turned his head and saw blood dripping into Pryde’s eyes. 

“Pryde!” 

He felt a sharp tug and just like that, Pryde was yanked from his grasp. A long, pale arm held firm onto the front of Pryde’s shirt; the siren’s long, bright orange tail with a strip of black along the underside glistened in the sunlight as he looked up at Kylo, wet red hair clinging to his face. 

_ Where the hell did he come from? The rocks… a distraction? _ Kylo had no time to put anything together. He jabbed forward with the dagger, the ginger siren catching his wrist. Kylo tugged back. Not this again.

However, this siren learned from his friend’s mistake. He twisted, Kylo instinctively letting go. The dagger bounced off the ground only once before the siren shoved it aside, out of reach. 

Kylo jerked back, cradling his arm to his chest, thankful the monster hadn’t broken it. The siren lunged for Pryde, climbing partially on top of him. 

“Get off him!” Kylo made to kick at him, but the siren moved first, swiping his tail and driving Kylo’s legs out from under him. He landed on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs; he coughed and inhaled sharply before sitting upright. 

Just in time to see the siren’s teeth sink into Pryde’s throat, striking gold in the jugular.

Still jostled from the last blow, Kylo could do nothing but feel the hot arterial blood spray onto his face and clothes, and listen to Pryde’s screams. 

Fresh adrenaline rushed through Kylo’s blood and he nearly jumped to his feet. He slowly backed up at first, unable to tear his gaze away from the gory flesh the siren was ripping from a still-alive Pryde. Kylo’s stomach churned.

The siren raised his head again, those eyes burning into Kylo. 

“Fuck,” Kylo muttered before turning and sprinting. 

Where he was running to, he wasn’t sure. If a siren could get this far, then what was to stop it from reaching the center of the island? The center that Kylo sped by in his hurry to get away from the horrors behind him. 

His lungs burned and his legs ached; the claw marks on his calf throbbed. There was nowhere to go. 

_ Go nowhere near the Dark Shoals. _

_ Go nowhere near the Dark Shoals. _

_ Go nowhere near the Dark Shoals. _

Kylo could hear Snoke’s laughter in his ears. The sound he made when his last breath left his body. This was the punishment for mutineers. For the sea to swallow your ship, for monsters to kill what was left of your crew, and eventually you. The fog bank had only been a test. A River Styx before he could arrive at the gates of Hell. This was what Captain Kylo Ren got for usurping a greedy, manipulative bastard of a captain. Burning tears raced down his cheeks, clearing streaks through the blood on his skin. 

It only took him five minutes to reach the other end of the island. When he did, he slowed, looking back in the direction he had come. He could see the four sirens on the other side; four lumps who just stared, daring him to return for his damaged boat. What he could see more clearly was Pryde’s body, unmoving and covered in blood. 

He did not see the siren that killed him.

Kylo’s pulse pounded in his ears, scanning the flat island. Gone.

Then he heard it. The soft movement of water from behind him. 

Kylo’s eyes slid closed and he decided he was not sorry. Not for going out to sea. Not for killing Snoke. And not for the end he was about to face.

There was a loud  _ splash _ of something emerging from the water, then two pale arms wrapped around his torso from behind. Kylo didn’t fight back as those arms pulled him backwards into the sea.

The siren’s grip on him was like iron and Kylo knew that he would drown like this… and perhaps it wasn’t so bad. To die in the arms of a beautiful creature. The siren turned him so they were facing each other. It was strange to see him this close. His skin looked so soft, so magical. Not a hint of mythic horror about him. Kylo realized then that he did not hate the monster for killing Pryde or for being one of six that lured them to their death. How could one hate such an enchanting being? 

The siren’s ginger hair floated in the water, it almost seemed unnatural, ethereal; his orange tail curled slightly under them, slowly waving occasionally to keep them from sinking too far. His eyes pierced through Kylo and he wished they could literally. Just end him… but not before…

Kylo rested his hands on the siren’s wrists; he leaned in and pressed his lips against the siren’s own. Those lips were just as soft as they looked, and despite the cold cruelty of their owner, they were warm. The siren froze, his whole body going rigid at the touch. But he didn’t pull away either, or push back or attack. After a moment, he relaxed and kissed Kylo back, opening his mouth to deepen it.

Yes, this would be a good way to go…

Kylo stayed that way as he waited for water to fill his lungs and for death to finally take him.

It never came. Instead, he felt the water move around him until they breached the surface.

Kylo sputtered up saltwater with heavy, burning coughs. He struggled for air, every breath making his chest and throat cry out in agony. The siren held him under the arms and dragged him out of the water and onto a small bed of sand between the rocks. Kylo’s drenched body shivered as the sea breeze blew through him. The sand that he curled his fingers into felt strange, like he was feeling the tiny grains against his skin for the first time. His lungs burned as he coughed up any last remnants of water from his body. Shivering again, he looked up at the redheaded siren who sat upright in the sand beside him.

“W… Why did you spare me?” Kylo managed to say, his voice raspy and weak. It surprised him how little he sounded like himself. 

The siren frowned down at him, his piercing eyes not leaving Kylo’s face, studying him.

“Who says I have?” he finally said. 

Kylo blinked twice. He wasn’t sure what he had expected the spoken voice of a siren to sound like, but he did not expect it to sound so… human. Solid with a clipped accent, but not unnatural. It was no mimic, it was genuine. No sailor Kylo had met ever spoke about how sirens sounded in conversation; he was only ever warned of the enticing silk velvet of their singing. 

“Then why not drown me? Isn’t that what you do?” he asked. 

The siren’s hands were clenched into fists. Every muscle under the soft flesh of his skinny frame visibly tense. 

“Why did you kiss me?” he sneered back. 

Finding strength at last, Kylo sat up so he could be at level with him.

“Why did  _ you _ kiss me back?” Kylo was actively dodging the question, mostly because he had no good answer, but he should be dead right now. Kylo needed to know why.

The siren narrowed his eyes, strands of wet ginger hair falling into his face. Kylo briefly wondered what that hair looked like when dry, if it was soft…

At last, the siren turned away to stare out at the open ocean. 

“You’re impossible,” he replied simply. 

“And you just killed the last of my crew. If you’re going to kill me, then do it already.” The strength had returned to Kylo’s deep voice, but his throat still ached from the exertion. He ignored it. “Why didn’t you kill me just then?”

“Because you kissed me.”

Warmth rose to Kylo’s cheeks as the siren pressed, “ _ Why _ did you do that?”

“Why did you _ kiss me back _ ?” Kylo countered again. The siren’s face twisted into a sneer, his nose wrinkling in disgust and bubbling anger.

“Do not play games with me!” the siren snarled and grabbed a fistful of Kylo’s hair, dragging him closer to get in his face. Kylo winced and reached up to wrap his large hand around the siren’s thin wrist; he tugged, hoping to wretch his hair free, but to no avail. “You said it yourself. I just killed the last of your crew. What was it? To surprise me? Shock me so you could get away? One final chance to save your pathetic little life?”

“No… not that. I’ve already accepted my fate.” 

The siren narrowed his eyes. Kylo wriggled, but the grip on his hair didn’t waver. “I don’t know why I kissed you. Dying man’s last move? Subconscious kiss of death? Because you’re so fucking bewitching? I don’t know. I’m not sorry and I have a feeling you aren’t either. Now are you going to kill me for it, or not? Cowardly fish!”

The siren’s grip tightened at the insult as he bared his teeth from behind lovely lips. 

Kylo glared into those piercing eyes, daring him to tear out his jugular. He could get out of this if he wanted, he considered it even now. Just break the siren’s skinny arm and run off. But where could he go? Even if he managed to get back to the boat without being attacked by the other sirens, the dinghy was severely damaged. There was nowhere to go. Only to his inevitable death. He did not want to die, but he was prepared to do so.

Then, the siren sharply tugged Kylo’s head forward, crashing their lips together. Kylo gave a muffled noise of surprise, but immediately allowed the prying tongue into his mouth. He could taste the saltwater and faint tang of metallic and if this were their first kiss, Kylo would have probably pulled away to throw up at the thought of tasting Pryde’s blood. But this wasn’t and Kylo found he didn’t really care. He didn’t dare wonder why. He just kissed the siren back because it was the only thing reminding him that he was alive.

Alive. Not in a hell of neverending fog on a vast, empty sea. Not drowned in the waves of the storm. Not old and miserable from having done nothing worthwhile in a life on land. These creatures were everything about the sea he loved: beautiful and dangerous and capable of killing him at any time.

He craved more.

Kylo ran his hands along the siren’s chest, gently pinching at skin and dragging his dull nails over prominent ribs, which earned him a soft moan from the back of the siren’s throat. Kylo smiled against his mouth and continued his exploration. He traced his hands down the beautiful, mythic body, taking in the odd texture where soft pale flesh gradually met cold orange and black scales. 

He pulled back, but only for a couple breaths of air before pressing back in. The siren’s free hand had found its way to Kylo’s shirt; all it took was a sharp tug to tear the white cloth, sending a button flying. The siren clawed at his chest, not quite breaking the skin, but definitely leaving long, thin red marks.

Kylo broke the kiss and quickly asked, “What’s your name?” 

The siren shoved him onto his back, half crawling on top of him, like he had with Pryde before brutally killing him. 

“They call me Hux,” said the siren, keeping Kylo pinned to the sand with one hand on his chest, fingers splayed. Hux looked down at his prey and Kylo wondered if he would kiss him again before ending it. This had to be it. Kylo waited.

Hux leaned in and once again pressed his lips to Kylo’s. This was more like their underwater kiss however. Softer, more curious. 

“I want you,” Hux whispered into his mouth. 

“You have me,” said Kylo.

Hux shook his head. “No, not as a meal. I want you here. With me. With us. On the island.”

Kylo blinked.  _ What? _

“Your choice. Your boat is wrecked. Your life as you knew it is over. Either start a new one with me or I will kill you. And I  _ will  _ enjoy it.” 

A shiver ran through Kylo’s body at the last statement, whether from the last of his adrenaline or… something else, he wasn’t sure. 

His choice though? It wasn’t much of a choice. Death or… whatever Hux had planned. Being his. Like a slave? A pet? A twisted way of playing with his food a little longer until he grew bored and ended it? 

“You’re going to kill me anyway.”

“No, I will not. Not if you choose a life with me of your own free will.” Hux narrowed his eyes. “And whatever plan is turning through your head now, I assure you, it won’t succeed. You cannot agree to this now then try to escape it later. If you don’t mean it now, you will die.”

Something clicked in Kylo’s brain then. Hux wasn’t just offering a chance of survival, he was offering a new  _ life _ . A life to be at sea forever, to be with him and stand by his side as that melodic voice dragged other sailors to their doom. All those ships, any treasure a pirate crew enticed in would leave behind. It would all belong to him. A life standing by and watching people like him be killed and eaten and drowned… and he would reap the glory his beautiful monster would collect for him. He could be the richest man in the world this way.

But it wouldn’t be about the money. No, that was something Snoke would seek. Not Kylo Ren. All Kylo ever wanted was a life on the ocean.

_ ‘Go nowhere near the Dark Shoals during your travels,’  _ his father had said. But he had and even though he had lost everything, he was being offered an opportunity to obtain more than he ever dreamed of. His life as an honest sailor had ended years ago. It was time to renounce his life as a pirate. What would he become if he took Hux’s offer?

Hux. Beautiful, terrifying, being of temptation Hux. Perhaps this, too, was a game to lure him in. Make Kylo drop his guard, take as much as he could from him, then leave him to be swarmed by his fellow sirens. Water collected at the ends of Hux’s hair, the damp strands tickling Kylo’s nose. 

Kylo wanted to lean up and taste those sweet lips again. The corner of his mouth turned up. 

“I hate you,” he said softly. 

“I know,” Hux replied, not quite smiling, though looking quite irritated. “Make your choice. My kind does not make such generous offerings easily, and I will not offer it again.  _ Choose. _ ” He bared his teeth on the last word. Teeth that had torn out Pryde’s throat. Kylo could end this here and now and never have to worry what his mother would think of him.

_ What the hell. _

“I choose you. I want a life with you.”

Strong hands gripped tight onto the edge of the trashed dinghy. Hard barnacle-like green and purple life had grown on the underside and the wood was already beginning to rot strangely. A deep red oozed out of the deepest places it had splintered against the rocks. Only half the boat was still there, the rest taken by the sea. It stank of death and sugar, and most days Kylo avoided going near it. 

But today… today he wished he had drowned in the storm and never set foot in this damned boat.

He clung to the side of it, cursing his foolishness and his desire for life and power in whatever form he was willing to take. His stomach churned and his head spun. The blood from the splintered wood dripped over his fingers and down into the water, where it vanished in the foam.

“There you are.”

Kylo kept his eyes tightly shut; if he couldn’t see it, then it wasn’t happening. 

Two familiar hands slid up his back and rested on his shoulders.

“I wondered where you had run off to. Well, ‘run’ probably isn’t the best-”

“Just  _ shut up, Hux _ ,” Kylo hissed. 

“This is the worst part, I promise you. It’ll be over shortly.”

Kylo wanted to believe him, but after several days of sitting on the edge of the Dark Shoals and getting to know Hux, he wondered if he even knew what he was asking of Kylo. Love, he had mentioned once. Had Hux ever loved anything in his life? 

Hux was handsome, cruel, intelligent, and dangerous and everything Kylo could want. But there would be time for that.

For now, he hated him. And he hated himself. He should have chosen death. 

“Shh,” Hux cooed into his ear, massaging his shoulders. “It’ll all be over soon.”

Kylo had chosen something twisted. It was what he deserved and what he wanted. The agonizing gnawing in his abdomen for hours gradually began to subside. He felt what used to be his legs completely fuse together, the itch of scales replacing skin. There had been a sharp white hot ache in his spine as if it had snapped in two, which, too, also began to ease. His feet were gone, now replaced by a large fin. He clung to the boat, focusing on the feel of the wood under his fingertips, on the way Hux’s hands felt on his skin and how soothing it was. 

Any pain he had felt drifted away. Breathing suddenly became easier. He relinquished his hold on the boat and leaned away so he was back-to-chest with Hux. Together, they floated down under the surface of the water. 

“Look,” said Hux. “Look how beautiful you are.”

At last, Kylo opened his eyes. The ocean seemed infinite here, magnificent, and free. He looked down at himself. 

“Wow,” was all he could say. What used to be two human legs was now a long red tail that ran from his hips down to a translucent black fin. A splattered trail of black ran from the small of his back, down along the underside of the tail. On either side were two smaller red fins. The scales shimmered in the light that glittered down from above. 

Hux’s own orange and black tail weakly wrapped around Kylo’s, not quite touching. He could see Hux’s smirk in the corner of his eye, just barely showing off his deadly teeth. Kylo ran his tongue over his own now sharp teeth. 

Images flashed through his mind of DJ and Pryde’s deaths. 

Kylo had chosen death. 

He ghosted his hand over where human flesh met scales. 

His choice.

Hux held him tighter and whispered into his ear, lips brushing the skin, “There you are. My beautiful monster.”


End file.
